FINISHED! PicMonkey worked great to piece together the nine scans I took of my great-grandfather Wentworth Barnes, WWI - "D" Company, 134th Overseas Battalion, C.E.F (Highlanders) photo. With PicMonkey it only took about 30 minutes for me to figure it out and complete it. I wasn't able to get it as large as I wanted, which limits the zoom, but it's enough to see the faces clearly.
I tried using an old version of PaintShop Pro that I already had, but I couldn't figure it out. If you are familiar with these types of photo editing software you can use them as well. I have always used PicMonkey for images because I find it's easier, but that is my preference.
The hardest part was taking the photo out of the frame. It was professionally framed so it was well secured. I took the paper off the back of the frame, then I had to unscrew cables and lift at least 60 teeth. This photo was glued to a piece of foam board and this made scanning it difficult so I needed a helper to keep it level.
I tried using my Flip-Pal first, but there were too many images for their software to stitch it properly without overlap shadows (I tried 3 times). I had to use my flatbed scanner instead for this job. All in all, I spent a long time trying to get this right but I'll be a pro for the next multiple-image scan I need to piece together.
Using PicMonkey I created a long base canvas (I used 8000 x 1500 pixels). I then added each scan (make sure you scan with some overlap for matching up) as a new overlay. For each overlay that I was trying to line up, I changed the fade of the image to about 50%, this allows you to see the image underneath for matching up. I used the buttons on their jackets to help line things up and used the arrow keys to make a more precise movement. When I was happy with this I returned the fade to normal and moved on to the next image. Once I added all nine of my images as overlays I clicked on each image (be careful not to move them) and used the Eraser tool (in Overlay pop up) and set the eraser size to about 50 and the Eraser Hardness to 0. Zoom in a bit and then erase the visible line that is created by the overlap or anything near the line that looks a bit off. When I was happy with the finished result, I flattened all the images together to make one large photo. Crop the new photo, make your edits to the colour and anything else you want to fix and save it or export it. Just remember if you make a mistake you can undo it and try again.
I'm really happy that I didn't have to pay someone else to do it. The photo is now edited, brassy spots removed and I can add it to my great-grandfather's digital file.
CLICK HERE to view the full-size image which allows you to zoom in.
Want to learn more about my great-grandfather, Wentworth Barnes? Check out this post about his WWI Service File or the Barnes Family page.
CLICK HERE to view the full-size image which allows you to zoom in.
Want to learn more about my great-grandfather, Wentworth Barnes? Check out this post about his WWI Service File or the Barnes Family page.
